Ayn Rand wrote about Values and Virtues, the leements of a Moral Code. Despite being reared and highly educated in the Catholic School System, her moral code was a shock bcause it was far more grounded. Her grounding in Philosophy is contrary to Roman Catholocism. While the Catholic Church has the Vaican, Sts Peter and Pauls and probably thousands of churches, schools, convents and rectories around the world, Rand’s Ethics are far above the Catholics. In fact, Rand is much better to use to set values and a morality than the entire Roman catholic System because she uses a philosophy set in reality compare to their use of mysticism. Mysticism faded from importance once reality was discovered. Despite denials by the essencial elements of religion, reality and a philosophy-based system is what’s needed to live an examined life at the highest level. For example, Metaphysics as a subject can be very wide and deep but a correct metaphysics, one based in reality and as explained by Ayn Rand and starting with a rejection of Plato and an embrace of Aristotle is the starting point for a moral code. You then need an Epistemology, Ethics, Politics and a view of Art. Here’s Rand herself on Morality:
“My morality, the morality of reason, is contained in a single axiom: existence exists—and in a single choice: to live. The rest proceeds from these. To live, man must hold three things as the supreme and ruling values of his life: Reason—Purpose—Self-esteem. Reason, as his only tool of knowledge—Purpose, as his choice of the happiness which that tool must proceed to achieve—Self-esteem, as his inviolate certainty that his mind is competent to think and his person is worthy of happiness, which means: is worthy of living. These three values imply and require all of man’s virtues, and all his virtues pertain to the relation of existence and consciousness: rationality, independence, integrity, honesty, justice, productiveness, pride.
She also writes:
“A moral code is a system of teleological measurement which grades the choices and actions open to man, according to the degree to which they achieve or frustrate the code’s standard of value. The standard is the end, to which man’s actions are the means.
“A moral code is a set of abstract principles; to practice it, an individual must translate it into the appropriate concretes—he must choose the particular goals and values which he is to pursue. This requires that he define his particular hierarchy of values, in the order of their importance, and that he act accordingly.
Every so often a fool comes along who condemns Rand. One such individual is Michael A. Roberts who recently wrote: “Dynamiting the Temple of Ayn Rand”. His attempt to hurt Rand came to naught because he got so much wrong in his screed that the UNZ REVIEW should be ashamed to publish his very false article. Rand will continue on as long as we can ascertain reality because she grounded her entire philosophy in reality. We are far better because of Rand.
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